Enrollment
816
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 192253000051
Perry Elementary — Perry, IA
Federal NCES profile for Perry Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 52
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Perry Comm School District · Iowa
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 15:1 Iowa avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.3%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Perry Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Perry Elementary reports 816 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 69.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% below the Iowa state mean of 15:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% above the Iowa average and 1% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 408 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Perry Comm School District spends $19,367 per pupil district-wide, above the Iowa average of $17,211 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.3% from local sources (property taxes), 54.2% from the state, and 16.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Perry Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Iowa state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.8:1 | ▼ 21% | 15:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.3% | ▲ 41% | 36.4% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 816 | top 93% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
51.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.8:1
students per teacher
— 21% below state mean
Top 15% in Iowa — lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$19,367
per pupil, district-wide
— above Iowa avg of $17,211
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 408 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 816 Top 93% in Iowa — larger than 7% of 1,326 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 69.0
Students per teacher 11.8:1 -21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.3% +41% vs state
NCES ID 192253000051
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 49.3%
White 40.3%
African American 5.3%
Two or More 2.9%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 49.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 408:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.4%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry Comm School District, which includes Perry Elementary.
$19,367
Per student
+13%
vs Iowa
Avg $17,211
-1%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 54.2%
Federal 16.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 549
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 370
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Perry Elementary
How many students attend Perry Elementary?
Perry Elementary has 816 students enrolled. It is a other school in Perry, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Perry Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Perry Elementary is 11.8:1, which is 21% lower than the Iowa average of 15:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Perry Elementary?
51.3% of students at Perry Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Perry Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Perry Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 49.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Perry, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Perry Elementary?
Perry Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.